ed behind a bend in the trail.

Then Jo saw a huge figure rising suddenly out of the fog in front of him
and, before he could fire, a great hand gripped for his throat, but if
he could not shoot in defense, at least he could give his comrades
warning. He fired one shot, and then he was overpowered.

Jim and Juarez heard it instantly. Then Manuello got in some of his
work. Before Juarez could rise, he struck him a vicious blow upon the
head that stunned him, rendering him unconscious. Cold with fury, Jim
picked up the rat of a Mexican before he could land a blow upon him,
whirled him over his head and dashed him upon the ground.

Then he sprang through the fog in the direction of the shot. He heard Jo
groan as the ruffians overpowered him and he leaped up the trail blind
with a fighting rage. The Captain had just got up from the struggle
with Jo, who lay as good as dead in the trail.

Then Jim hurled himself upon him. Powerful though he was, the Captain
could not withstand the sinewy lurch of that sudden attack and together
boy and man crashed from the trail over rocks and through brush until
with a fearful impact they struck the trunk of a pine tree.

The mate sprang swiftly down to the rescue of his fallen master. He was
a strong, sinewy man and knew how to act in an emergency.

CHAPTER X

"HAUL IN"

The jar of the fall had knocked out the Captain partially and Jim had
risen to give him the coup de grace, when he heard the rush of the mate
coming down through the fog. It was a strange sensation hearing your
enemy but not able to see him.

Then the mate plunged into view, a dark ball through the opaqueness. He
could not have stopped if he had so desired and it was evident that he
did not wish to. For, with lowered head, he came for Jim as he would for
an ugly sailor.

Jim stopped him with his shoulder and ripped in a right uppercut with
his keen hard fist that would have stopped the heart action of an
ordinary man, and it sent the seasoned mate back upon his haunches,
partially dazed. Feeling the Captain squirming back to life, he planted
a back blow with his heel in the latter's stomach that took the wind out
of the Captain's sails for the time being. The mate, a really hardy
individual, had made good use of the brief respite and, picking up a
heavy stick, came for Jim with it.

The latter dodged the blow aimed at his head and it glanced off his
shoulder. Then he closed with the sailor, struggling